Monthly Archives: May 2013

Frankie Dunn: So, it’s your birthday, huh? How old does that make you?Maggie Fitzgerald: I’m 32, Mr. Dunn, and I’m here celebrating the fact that I spent another year scraping dishes and waitressing which is what I’ve been doing since 13, and according to you, I’ll be 37 before I can even throw a decent punch, which I have to admit, after working on this speed bag for a month, may be the God’s simple truth. Other truth is, my brother’s in prison, my sister cheats on welfare by pretending one of her babies is still alive, my daddy’s dead, and my momma weighs 312lbs. If I was thinking straight, I’d go back home, find a used trailer, buy a deep fryer and some oreos. Problem is, this the only thing I ever felt good doing. If I’m too old for this, then I got nothing. That enough truth to suit you?

The trailer for The Longest Day calls this one of the most ambitious films ever made and I think that is still true today. It would take multiple posts to write about everything there is to write about with this film. Instead, I am going to write about a few of my favorite performers in the film (look at that cast list; it’s insane!). You can read a lot about the production of the film here. I used to love this movie when I was a kid and was lucky enough to see it on the big screen at the TCM Film Festival in 2012 (first thing in the morning, too!). If you ever get a chance to see it on the big screen, don’t miss it! It’s amazing. The film was nominated for five Academy Awards, winning two: Best Film Editing, Best B&W Art Direction, Best B&W Cinematography (won), Best Special Effects and Best Picture. The other films nominated for Best Picture that year were: The Music Man, Mutiny on the Bounty, To Kill a Mockingbird and winner Lawrence of Arabia.

Quinn: They come here looking for the magic, hoping to find romance, when they can’t find it anywhere else.Robin: Maybe they will.Quinn: It’s an island, babe. If you didn’t bring it here, you won’t find it here.

At this point y’all should be pretty well-versed in Pre-Code Hollywood and all its glory. The Warner Archive is at it again, releasing Vol. 7 of the ever-popular Forbidden Hollywood series. This set features film that, while not the “best” films of the era, feature some of the most salacious scenarios that Hollywood had to offer at the time. These are the kind of morally “loose” films that caused the Catholic church to call the industry indecent. They’re also more sexually charged than most current Hollywood films. The films included in this set are: William A. Wellman’s The Hatchet Man, Edgar Selwyn’s Skyscraper Souls, Roy Del Ruth’s Employees’ Entrance and Robert Florey’s Ex-Lady.

Pedro De Pacas: Man, what is in this shit, man?Anthony “Man” Stoner: Mostly Maui Waui man.Pedro De Pacas: Yeah?Anthony “Man” Stoner: But it’s got some Labrador in it.Pedro De Pacas: What’s Labrador?Anthony “Man” Stoner: It’s dog shit.Pedro De Pacas: What?Anthony “Man” Stoner: Yeah, my dog ate my stash, man. I had it on the table and the little motherfucker ate it, man.Pedro De Pacas: Yeah? Anthony “Man” Stoner: So I had to follow him around with a little baggie for three days, man, before I got it back. Really blew the dog’s mind.Pedro De Pacas: You mean we’re smokin’ dog shit, man?Anthony “Man” Stoner: Gets ya high, don’t it? I think it’s even better than before, you know?Pedro De Pacas: I wonder what Great Dane tastes like, man.